I have been looking for an open handle backsaw at estate sales for a few years and I finally got one but I don't recognize the name. It says on the side of the back plate Bowdon & Co Sheffield No other writing that I can find, no plate etching. The only thing I have found is that Bowdon is the 2nds saws from J Tyzack but I can't find a way to date the saw or much history on it. I plan on having this as my main user and i'd like to know as much history on it as possible. Thanks for any info you can provide. Mike
Hi Mike. Rilanda posted a tropic on the Bowden saw and I, in turn gave a couple of replies which no-one so far has contradicted and so I am assuming that they are somewhere near right. The thread is here :- http://www.backsaw.net/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=58&jfile=showthread.php&t=169 But to cut a long story short I think that your saw must be between the late 1870's and WW1 -ish. The name on the back is uncluttered and utilitarian, and the curvature on the bottom of the fishtail has lost its acute break of curve. It is starting to flatten out. This I always associate with a "later" saw. Because of these two, I would put it into the 20th C., possibly a lot nearer WW1 than the turn of the century. I would go a little further and hazard an outside guess that it could be slightly post WW1 depending upon when Tyzack stopped using split nuts. Once again this comes with the caveat that I have been known to be wrong before and all refutations are gratefully received. Fred
Fred, From reading that post you linked to, it seems to be prior to 1891 since it has only Sheffield without England. "Country required after 1891". That is pretty close for me, i'm happy with knowing it's Mfr would be between 1870 and 1891. Thank you for the information. Mike
Hi Mike, You have got me thinking - which is often a dangerous or unwise thing to do, but this time about the date and the lack of "England" or some such on it. The act that I was referring to re this was known as the McKinley Tariff Act which was passed in October 1890 and in essence was a form of protectionism. I don't think that I have seen any saws with "England" stamped on them. and only Rilanda's with it referred to at all. This was possibly as a result of said Act, and which, after all was its purpose - to deter imports, and, of course because by this time Disston and a couple of other makers had the saw market sewn up. Why import a cheap British saw when you could have a good to reasonable quality Disston? So, how did this saw get to the (I am assuming) USA without showing the place of manufacture post 1891. And I keep banging on about it being a later saw than 1891 because I think that it is. The only thing that may make it earlier is because it is a secondary line or brand and the detailing on the fishtail may have been one of the first features to suffer as costs were cut. But in this case, if it is a cheapie, why not go the whole hog and give it a London Flat? The answer to that may lie in the fact that it is marked "Bowden and Co". The earlier saws were marked only Bowden (or Fitzwilliam) and I believe that the "and Co.) was added to give the name a bit of kudos in a very tough trading environment. Thus, if a London Flat signified a cheap saw at this time and they wanted it to appear a quality one but did not want to give it an expensive handle, then this sort of fishtail may be the answer. ( I love WAG - ing, even though the odds are that it is a load of rubbish)!! Anyway, that is the case for it being a pre 1891 saw, but to get back to the earlier question, if it is a later saw, how did it get into the USA?? The only ways that I can think of is that if it came with an immigrant's tool kit, or made its way from Canada by fair means or foul. What we really need, of course to solve this is for someone to come forward with an appropriately dated Tyzack catalogue and an image of said saw. Are there any takers? Fred
Love the bottom saw. I have a Turner that is very similar, with a beech handle as most Sheffield saws had. As Fred points out, it is Bowden & Co., or at least would appear so which you would need to verify.
Bowdon & Co There's so much excellent comment already that I feel reluctant to add much. Bowdon (note the spelling) was the 5th quality of saw that Joseph Tyzack produced in 1879, ie there were 4 other lines that were more expensive, but unlike some of the very cheapest in other makes, they really weren't bad tools, and might show their cheapness in their disinclination to hold their edge in use. By 1939 they produced only 3 qualities, the Bowdon being the third. In 1922 the catalogue shows flat screws on the Bowdon, but by 1939 raised screws, but this open handle shape (not illustrated in the catalogues on the smallest Bowdons) was still being used on salt saws in 1939. So I think this saw is 20th century, and probably sometime in the 1920s. Tuned up and looked after, I'm sure it would give good service.
Simon, That's very helpful though. There is no Bowdon listed in HSMOB. Odd that on page 69 it lists Bowden under Tyzack. Maybe Erv and Don missed the spelling as they listed Bowden separately also. In the stamp it definitely looks like an O, but I was just figuring that it had worn. Cheers, Alan
Bowdon & Co Hands up anyone who's never made a spelling mistake!! My late father in law was once vicar of Bowdon ( a suburb of Altrincham, near Manchester) so I have another reason for remembering the spelling, although why a Sheffield street should be so named... Anyway, perhaps this extract from the 1937 J Tyzack catalogue will be of interest. Although they look very similar, the Bowdon is only half the price of the 3-leg, so all the extra would have gone into the work on the steel, I think.